Cocal

EXACTLY what I've been saying

thomas1

I am doing a drain and fill once a year, USE only WS Toyota fluid, as even Amsoil does not recommend their WS replacement for the HYBRID transmission. On my RX400h their are no screens, just a drain and fill plug very similar to a differential. Wife has 209K miles on our RX400h. First transmission fluid change was at 89k miles and it was black.

Cocal

Salim I know you are being sarcastic, but really. One is free to do as one pleases all we can do is offer advice based on our experience, what one does with it is up to the individual. Many of us follow the line of preventive maintenance others the line of remedial maintenance, one must follow whatever one wants, no one is an apostate of his belief. But to answer your questions, if your vehicle undergoes hard/heavy work then yes change the tranny fluid every 20K if not 40-50K is fine, same if you want the tranny to last and be healthy at the end of 200K miles.

iolmaster

iTrader: (1)

He is being sarcastic for a reason. (Sorry I shouldn't speak for Salim) I assume we are all talking about the sealed 6 speed. This transmission has been around for a long time and no one here has presented any evidence other the some anecdotal found in some forum threads. Please site any source that Toyota has had or is having problems with these transmissions as a result of not having the fluid changed The sarcasm is because not only is 20K miles excessive for a normal transmission it is just absurd for the sealed 6 speed. This is why these forums can be so harmful. Before you post again I suggest you find the facts and present them. I will be all ears. (or eyes in this case)

iolmaster

iTrader: (1)

Again, facts?? What is this based on. Your gut, your survey sample size of ??. Please, for the sake of discussion let us say you are correct. Give me a least something concrete.

lexusrus

It's a well known fact in many of the car companies that many times when the technical people (engineers) meet up with marketing/upper management people at these so call meetings to finalize ANYTHING, the technical (engineers) get shot down due to various reasons (often cost is the main reason). BTW, it's not just in the car business.

QUESTION:. DOES A 777 PASSENGER JET have SIMILAR "LIFETIME" fluids that DOES NOT NEED CHANGING, EVER? How about it's hydraulic fluids?

QUESTION:. What does it mean to you "LIFETIME"? LIFETIME for whom? The warranty of the car? Or as long as you own the car? If you keep the car for a LOOOONG time you and the car manufacturers have a VERY DIFFERENT DEFINITION of LIFETIME.

lexusrus

So I WAS so happy that I changed my ATF in my prior 2000 LX470. I traded in back in 2013 with 280K+ miles for another new 2013 LX570. When my old LX470 was only three years old I was at a convention in San Francisco and overhead another person's (then 4year old LX470 with about 80K miles with a transmission failure). I spoke with him and he said Lexus did not cover it EVEN THOUGH HE TOOK HIS LX470 TO THE SAME LEXUS DEALER FIR ALL SCHEDULED SERVICES. After hearing that I religiously changed my ATF in all of my vehicles. I think that was why my LX470 was trouble free even after 280K+ miles. Wife wanted more technical features in the new LX570 which was desperately lacking in the old LX470. SIMILARLY IN my 1995 Volvo 960 sedan which I sold in 2015 with around 190K+ miles (the ATF was a sealed LIFETIME also. The ATF dip stick was purposely made so far down in the engine bay you have to check it from the bottom with the car on a rack!!! I changed the ATF every 60K miles to keep it trouble free).

Do what you believe in. Just remember "LIFETIME" MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

MellonC00

I have over 252K miles on gen 1 RX. So, I think I speak from experience. I did my first drain and fill at 60K miles when the fluid wasn't even a fluid anymore. It was like a thick syrup.... well, more like a black chocolate syrup/crust on a birthday cake. Immediately my hard shifting behavior went away.

After that I faithfully did only DRAIN AND FILL every 30K miles. Now, I check the fluid pretty regularly. The color isn't bright pink like the post number 20. It's more like dark cabernet. I don't do flushes because well, I'm think i'm hedging my bets...... too many horror stories of trannys failing after a flush. I can't exactly tell you why. Something to do with dislodged sediments or sudden change of viscosity are what I hear as the culprits.

I think, however, that these tranny's do come with lifetime fluids. If you are not keeping your car beyond lease period or something less than 70 to 90K miles, I doubt you'll have any issues. Lexus is liability free after the warranty period is over. Owners have moved on. What's not to like? Lifetime!

lexus114

complete exchange at Toyota dealer

lexus114

think about how many times a day that transmission is shifting gears for you. up hills, in traffic, on 90+ degree days, short trips, spirited driving now and then.. there is NO fluid out there that does not break down from just everyday continual use...NONE. hey, if you feel comfortable leaving that fluid in there,....then by all means do so. as for me, i will continue on with my regimen thank you.

salimshah

It seems this thread is full of PERSONAL CHOICES with no data or reasoning behind it and there is a chance of this thread getting out of control, unless posters try restraining themselves.

This is a brief summary: [This is for the autoTrans of RX350. RX450H cvt is a different beast]
There is skepticism about transmission fluid being for the life of the vehicle.
Short consensus seems to be 30K servicing. Some say drain and fill while some say controlled full exchange.
No one has mentioned anything beyond refreshing/changing fluid.

Salim
ps: I have no personal skin in the issue as I have RX450H

iolmaster

iTrader: (1)

You have missed the entire point of my post. Please list your credentials as a fluids engineer. I will not post in this thread anymore. I have asked repeatedly for some sort of scientific data to be presented that supports the intervals that a number of you have suggested. Not one person has done so.

lexus114

no scientific data necessarily just common sense.

MellonC00

this guy does an excellent job of explaining why you need to change the tranny fluid. At minute marker 5:31 he talks about why (possibly) some tranny's fail after flushing.........

thomas1

I had a 99 RX300 with a transmission that failed at 103k miles, I was very upset, because I serviced the transmission twice in that mileage. Later I learned that the transmission had a weak link (aluminum planetary carrier with steel gears) and then I realized that maybe first year cars might not be best choice, Long story short I had it replaced by Lexus and continued my journey till 189k miles when I went to a RX400h. I have always been a preventative maintenance guy, So I change tranny fluid once a year and feel the minimal cost is just insurance to further my journey. The fluid is always dark, and some have done analysis and received very good info. Toyota/Lexus as well as other car manufacturers have sold the John Q. Public that no service required, but as long as you have moving parts there will be wear. If anything I always feel my ride is happier when I get done with the preventative, versus having a failure when I least expect. (Mine was on the Salt flats of UTAH going 75 mph) Each to their own, but good maintenance is a good practice and gives longevity on most cars. Lexus is a fine product, but a little TLC goes a long way.